PS3 Re-Launch, Just the Beginning?

It hasn’t been formally stated by Sony, however it hard to miss the fact that what we are seeing here is a re-launch of the PS3 console as we know it. It’s no mystery that the PS3 has been on a rocky path from the start with a $600 price tag and while sales mimicked the 360’s LTD from release day on, the PS3 has always gotten the dirty end of the stick when it came to journalists and the internet in general specifically on how it’s in 3rd place right now.

Skip ahead a few years and what we have today is a new Sony and a new PS3. First and foremost we have the announcement of the PS3 Slim. While not officially dubbed “The Slim” by Sony, that’s what it will go down in history as. Simple redesigns increase sales exponentially, albeit not necessarily continuously. With the announcement of the Slim alone, we could expect no less then a significant bump for the next few months but as we all know, there is more.

A price drop accompanied by the release of the Slim was warranted, requested and all but demanded by the consumers. I thoroughly believe that a Slim at a $399 price point would have still increased sales for a couple of months despite the anger it would spurn on the internet in forums and blogs alike. With the $100 price drop, I see sales picking up increasingly as some of the bigger titles are coming to a developmental conclusion.

So what we have, The PS3 Slim and $100 price drop, will definitely increase sales for some time to come. Sony however hasn’t stopped there. They are putting all of their eggs into one basket. They have launched a worldwide advertising campaign costing hundreds of millions of dollars. The more significant part of this advertising campaign is that the adverts are good! No more crying babies and “wtf” moments!

Finally add in the removal of the Spiderman font, the new logo and what we have here is a transformation of not just a physical product but of a company and its tactics as well. I thoroughly believe that the PS3 will gain ground on the competition this fiscal year.

My personal thoughts:

Japan – PS3 will be the best selling console 2009 YTD
Europe – PS3 will beat out 360 but not the Wii 2009 YTD
USA – PS3 will be a very close 3rd place 2009 YTD

anyway, it would be pretty tough, but I think Sony can potentially ink out more sales in NA than the 360. Especially if the ad campaign is really good. Even if/when MS gets rid of the pro system and drops the price of the elite to $299, the PS3 still has a lot more features for the same price, and with a good ad campaign, consumers would know that. Since it will have the same price as a 360 (excluding the arcade), and consumer knowledge is better, it’s totally possible for the PS3 to be the best selling system in North America. Just as long as they also know that the Wii collects more dust than it is used for games lol

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